The Danish Parliament on Thursday, the 7th of December, passed a law banning the burning of the Quran, with Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard stressing that the law was passed to protect the Danish people and strengthen national security, following numerous incidents that sparked unrest in the country, citing Danish media, reports Politico.
More than 500 demonstrations burning the Quran or flags have been recorded since July, Hummelgaard said on Thursday. He stressed that these events were organised to provoke a negative reaction against Denmark.
Under the new law, burning the Quran
is now a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.
94 parlamentarians voted in favour of the law, 77 against.
Rasmus Paludan, a member of the Danish far-right Hard Line party, has been one of the main perpetrators of Quran burnings, having burned the Quran several times in Copenhagen and Stockholm. In January, it emerged that Chang Frick, a Swedish journalist linked to the Russian propaganda channel RT, had financially supported Paludan’s demonstration to burn the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
The Finnish Security Intelligence Service reported this week that Russia had instigated anti-Islamic protests to prevent Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, citing Finnish media, reports Politico.
Read also: Protest aggravates the relations between Sweden and Turkey
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